Hades (Disney)
Hades is the Greek god of the Underworld and the main antagonist of the 1997 Disney animated feature film, Hercules. While the Hades of Greek mythology was not particularly malevolent, he is made into an evil figure in the Disney film, where he attempts to steal the Mount Olympus throne from his eldest brother, Zeus. Hades is one of the most popular Disney Villains, in addition to being one of the franchise's primary members. Background Hades is the ruler of the Underworld and younger brother of the mighty Zeus, king of Mount Olympus, who is also responsible for granting Hades' ownership of the Underworld. Unbeknownst to Zeus and the other deities, however, Hades despises the Underworld, as well as his job, finding them both gloomy, depressing, and overbearing. Because of this, Hades secretly plots to overthrow Zeus and rule Mount Olympus as the King of Deities, himself. Though powerful in his own right, Hades is considerably weaker than Zeus, and maybe Poseidon, if not equal to the latter. As such, he often allies himself with various beasts and creatures lurking through Greece, hiring them to do his bidding; the most notable example being the Titans, who were imprisoned by Zeus eons ago. Personality What Hades lacks in physical strength, he makes up for in meticulous planning, impressive manipulation, and an intimidating aura. Aside from that, Hades is best known for his uncontrollably hot temper, although he is fully aware of this and immediately tries to remain calm and maintain composure as much as he can. At times, the smallest inconveniences can send him over the edge, causing fiery fits and extreme damage to the area and people around him, depending on the situation. This quality makes him a feared figure among Greece and beyond, especially in the eyes of his minions, Pain and Panic. Despite their constant colossal failures and lies, he seems to have a surprising amount of faith in these imps as he continuously sends them out with various missions and tasks, most of which are rather major. As mentioned earlier, Hades is a master manipulator and often resorts to making deals to get the best of his enemies. Even so, he's an honest god, and keeps his end of the bargain with every deal made, despite the stakes or importance - a rare quality found among the Disney villains. He is also fairly comedic, often making jokes and pop-culture references during casual conversations, though they're usually played for his own, twisted amusement, and at the expense of others. Physical appearance Hades appears as a blue-gray humanoid with flaming blue hair, wearing a black robe and a smoky base. When he gets angry, his skin turns red and he bursts into flames (especially his hair, which becomes a more accurate yellow-orange). He has yellow eyes and sharp teeth. Hercules Hades is first seen in the film appearing on Mount Olympus during Hercules' christening. None of the gods are happy to see him. After greeting them, Hades goes up to Baby Hercules' crib and attempts to put a spiked skull-shaped pacifier into the baby's mouth. He almost succeeds, but then the baby grabs and squeezes his finger, causing him to drop the pacifier and he begins to insult Hercules under his breath. After Zeus fails to cheer him up, Hades leaves in pain. Humiliated by his brother in front of the other deities, he leaves Olympus to the Underworld to plan his takeover of Olympus. Early in the film, Hades asks Pain and Panic if the Fates have arrived, before they reveal the Fates are waiting for him. Angered his minions had not previously alerted him, Hades goes and consults with the Fates on his plan to take over Mount Olympus. They tell him that when the planets align eighteen years later, Hades will be able to unleash the horrible Titans and that they would lead him to victory and power. However, if Hercules intervenes, this will all backfire. Hades decides to nip the Hercules threat in the bud by having Pain and Panic feed the infant Hercules a potion that will make him mortal. When Hercules is mortal, Pain and Panic would kill the baby. However, Hercules doesn't drink the last drop of the potion, meaning he still retains his godlike strength, allowing Hercules to defend himself. Pain and Panic, to cover their failure, tell Hades they've successfully killed the boy when they return to the underworld. Believing their front, Hades continues forth with his plan for domination. In the mix, he comes across a girl named Megara who sells her soul to him in order to save her boyfriend's life. However, once he's revived, the boy abandons Meg for another woman, breaking her heart and leaving her in Hades' hands. Since then, Meg has been working with Hades to rule Olympus, though she merely does so because she has no choice, and often mocks the god's temper and schemes with a sarcastic quip. Years later, Hades sends Meg to recruit Nessus. This backfires. However, when Hercules intervenes. When Hades discovers through this that Hercules was still alive, he takes matters into his own hands, by sending an army of monsters to defeat Hercules, beginning with the Hydra. But when his monsters fail to defeat Hercules, he sends Megara to seduce Hercules and find his weakness. She falls in love with Hercules on their following date and forgets about the mission, simply saying that he has no weakness when he asks. Hades deduces that Hercules' love for Megara is his weakness and uses her to trick Hercules into giving up his godlike strength for a day for Meg's safety. Hercules agrees and Hades, knowing Hercules will not interfere, not only unleashes the Titans at last, but also sends the Cyclops to kill Hercules while he is powerless. Meanwhile, Hades ignites an attack on Mount Olympus, successfully imprisoning Zeus and the others deities in the process, thus allowing the throne to fall into his hands. During the Cyclops' attack on Hercules, a pillar falls on Meg, severely injuring her. This breaks Hades' promise that Meg would not be hurt, causing Hercules to regain his strength. Hercules proceeds to go to Mount Olympus, where he engages the Titans and eventually defeats them, thwarting Hades's invasion. However, Meg has died because of her injuries (thanks to the Fates clipping her life thread) and Hades claims her soul as his consolation prize, knowing how much her death will hurt Hercules. Hercules storms into the Underworld subdues Cerberus and confronts Hades, demanding he returns Meg to him. Hades smugly explains to Hercules that Meg is dead and he can't have her back. Hercules offers his soul in exchange for Meg's and Hades displays a moment of being genre savvy, seeing the deal as almost too good to be true. However, he decides to agree on the condition that Hercules must retrieve her himself. It is not until Hercules has already dived into the River Styx that Hades shouts that the former will be dead before he can reach Meg. The Fates attempt to cut Hercules' life thread, but are unable to. Hercules' genuinely heroic sacrifice causes him to become a god, making him immortal. Hercules emerges from the river, carrying Meg's soul. Hades, astounded, attempts to smooth-talk Hercules again, who angrily punches him, sending Hades into the river, where he is swarmed by the souls trapped inside and dragged into its depths. It is unknown what happened to him afterward, though Pain and Panic's commentary implies that Hades may be trapped within the river for quite some time, if not eternity. During the end credits when the thanks to the staff are shown, Hades' voice is heard saying that everyone's got a happy ending but him. Then asks if anyone's listening and if he's talking to hyperspace. Gallery Hercules-br-disneyscreencaps_com-635.jpg Hercules-br-disneyscreencaps_com-4478.jpg Hercules-disneyscreencaps_com-6022.jpg Category:Hercules Monsters Category:Demons Category:Humaniods Category:Males Category:Villains Category:Satanic Villains Category:Disney monsters Category:Animated monsters Category:Movie monsters Category:All monsters Category:Anti-heroes